Ronald Brownstein is precisely the type of commentator the corporate media mass produces. His take in The Atlantic should only be read with a critical eye capable of translating the elitist bullshit and misreading of the moment, as well as past history. For those who thought Julian Castro was a progressive, start here:
"Sawyer Hackett, executive director of People First Future, the political organization founded by Julián Castro, expressed that view when he told me that in 2022 and 2024, 'it is going to be tough [for Democrats] to run on a message that these people are too dangerous … to be in charge while simultaneously saying, "Hey, look what we’re getting done with the Republicans, Washington still works, look at this infrastructure deal we got done."' He added: 'We’re propping these things up as an example of a functioning Washington while the Republican Party is just moving to the right and becoming more extreme.'"
Sawyer Hackett? What, no Hispanic, Julian? That is on top of the horrible assessment here. People want action more than bi-partisanship. And as people have learned what was in the corporate partisan (bi-partisan in media parlance) bill, they are outraged. Oh, but Brownstein's framing gets worse. Here is the very next paragraph:
"The scale of biden’s agenda has drawn justifiable comparisons to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. But in his posture toward the opposite party, Biden’s model seems to be a very different former president: Dwight Eisenhower. Like Eisenhower, Biden is largely positioning himself as an elder statesman who has transcended the partisan fray. A promise to unify the country has been a central pillar of Biden’s messaging since he first announced his candidacy. And he’s rarely looked as happy as he did in late June when he stepped onto the White House driveway, surrounded by senators of both parties, to announce the tentative deal on infrastructure spending."
This is awful history on top of an awful present understanding. How is Biden's agenda like FDR's or LBJ's when Biden has already reneged on almost every substantive promise? And where he won't facilitate or participate in rallies that go after recalcitrant senators, such as Manchin or Sinema? Does anyone honestly think FDR or LBJ would let Manchin and Sinema rule the roost as they have since January 2021? As for Eisenhower, I wish Biden was Eisenhower on domestic policy, at least, as Eisenhower vetoed defense bills and was clear about pushing for a real infrastructure program, the Highway National Defense Act.
What explains Brownstein's framing other than personal corruption? It is not as if Brownstein is bribed with a paper bag of money. No. It's just about his being placed into the Wise Man chair in elite DC connected circles. He is groomed as the new David Broder. It is a corruption of status and access, and, among the NY-DC-LA set, personal celebrity. He knows what he is saying is wrong from a historical perspective at least, and is pushing a courtesan or mandarin narrative for the present moments. In Brownstein's relative youth (he is 63), he worked for Ralph Nader--so therefore, he KNOWS. What is so extraordinary how he, and these other courtesans and mandarins, can blithely walk by the climate disaster, and not think of their children--and continue to push bi-partisanship and incrementalism.
